Mulligan and Mumford raise record $7.65M for Children in Conflict in Los Angeles
$7.65 million in one night. Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford raised that sum for Children in Conflict at their annual Wassail benefit at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, according to Variety.
The show took place on a Sunday night. It was the first time the couple had brought the Wassail benefit to Los Angeles. They had previously held it in London and New York.
Mulligan and Mumford are founding global ambassadors of Children in Conflict. The organisation is a non-profit focused on protection, education and mental health support for children living in war zones and high-conflict areas. That work was the reason for the evening, and the reason given for the fundraising target.
Jack Whitehall emceed the night. He kept the programme moving between music, readings and appeals. The music came from four acts. Mumford & Sons performed, alongside Brandi Carlile, Sierra Ferrell and Jensen McRae.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer also took part. They joined the programme to give readings. Food on the night came from chefs Chris Bianco and Billy Durney, who designed the menu for guests.
Mulligan told the audience the $7.65 million total was the most the benefit had ever raised. It topped every previous London and New York edition. Mumford said the money would help bring support to more than one million children in war zones, as reported by Variety.
The Wassail has become a fixture in their calendar. Vogue documented an earlier edition with a slideshow published on 11 December 2024. The Los Angeles move widened it further, bringing new performers, new guests and a new room into the effort.
What makes this stand out is the scale of a single evening. One theatre. One Sunday. A record total, and a stated aim to reach more than one million children.
